Police make new arrest following removal of Banksy artwork

London police announced on Sunday the arrest of a second man in relation to the theft of a Banksy artwork from a south London street.

A man in his 40s was in custody on suspicion of theft and criminal damage,said the Metropolitan police.

A suspect in his 20s who was arrested Saturday, also on suspicion of theft and criminal damage, was released on bail.

On Saturday, witnesses took photos and recorded video of a man removing a red stop sign with three military drones on it, just hours after the artwork was posted on the artist's Instagram page.

The artwork was located in the Peckham area of south London and was interpreted by many as a call for a cease-fire in Gaza.

In one of the recorded videos, a man cut the sign off its signpost with bolt cutters after climbing onto a bicycle. Another man assisted by holding the bike steady.

The man who cut the sign off its post then ran away with it.

London's Metropolitan Police had asked citizens to come forward with any information about the incident. 

The stop sign has since been replaced.

"Banksy" is the pseudonym of a British street artist, whose work has often taken aim at themes such as war.

Witnesses 'bemused'

One person who saw the event told Britain's PA news agency that eyewitnesses were unsure how to respond to it.

"We said: 'What are you doing?' But no one really knew what to do, we sort of just watched it happen," Alex said.

"We were all a bit bemused," Alex added. "There was some honking of car horns."

The deputy leader of the local council, Jasmine Ali, said the piece should be returned.

"It should not have been removed, and we'd like it back so everyone in the community can enjoy Banksy's brilliant work," she said.

This is not the first time one of Banksy's artworks has been removed.

In December 2022, Ukrainian police arrested eight people who were attempting to remove a Banksy mural in the capital, Kyiv.

rm, ss, sdi/lo, jsi (AP, AFP)